It’s been roughly 84 hours at the High School Journalism Institute and I have already pushed myself out of my comfort zone and loved it. On day three, I completed one of my first journalistic pieces. I have made so many amazing friends and I’m very grateful for this opportunity.
My reporting partner and I have been getting closer throughout the week, and have formed a friend group of sorts. The other students are all so nice and each have such a wonderful personality. Everyone seems confident in their abilities and from what I’ve seen, they definitely should be. The energy is contagious when we are together, and laughter is a common sound.
Today has been the day for us to start writing our news stories. Some of us are going to be writing about a local farmers market, while some are writing about how role playing games have become popular in recent years. My partner and I started out thinking we were going to be writing about a staffing shortage and a service fee increase at a local fire department, but I found out that they are more than that. They are a family.
During the events of the day, we talked to a woman firefighter in training and asked her a little about working in a male-dominated field. While she admitted that it was a difficult start, and lots of stations still have old-school ideas, she also said it had never been a problem for her at the Corvallis Fire Department.
So many people value family, so it’s always hard to move away from your own, let alone to another country. But one of the firefighters that works at Corvallis Fire Department did just that. He moved all the way from Italy, leaving behind his life as a tax lawyer, before starting his journey as a firefighter. He found out about the Corvallis Fire Department and worked with the chiefs to finish his paramedic credentials.
As my visit to the local fire department demonstrated beautifully, family comes where you least expect it. I have learned that from observing these firefighters together and watching the participants of the High School Journalism Institute grow closer together.
— Alexandra Difani, Henley High
This story was produced by student reporters as part of the High School Journalism Institute, an annual collaboration among The Oregonian/OregonLive, Oregon State University and other Oregon media organizations. For more information or to support the program, go to oregonlive.com/hsji.